Trent Bridge

Statistical Preview: Sussex Sharks v Notts Outlaws

Featured News | 14th August 2013

Background

After the disappointment of their defeat to Worcestershire on Tuesday evening, Notts Outlaws head to Hove to face Sussex under the floodlights on Thursday. A win for the Outlaws will guarantee them a spot in September’s semi finals whilst Sussex cannot make the last four.

Notts have won all four of their away matches to date, at Northampton, Worcester, Edgbaston and Truro, where they faced the Netherlands. The first of their two losses this year came at Trent Bridge against Sussex in June.

Head To head

In all one-day competitions Notts and Sussex have contested 48 fixtures, with Notts ahead by 25 wins to 20.

Two matches have been washed-out, without a ball being bowled, and the 2004 match in Hove ended in a thrilling tie.

Sussex have hosted Notts on 23 previous occasions within their own county, with matches being played at Horsham, Eastbourne, Arundel as well as at Hove.

At their county headquarters Sussex and Notts have each won on six occasions, with one tie and one abandonment.

Notts’ last win was in 2007 and the home county were victorious in the last meeting there, in 2009.

Last Time

Nottinghamshire were soundly beaten on their last one-day visit to Hove. The Pro40 League match in 2009 saw both Akhil Patel and Jake Ball make their List-A debuts for Notts but it was a match that few in the visiting line-up will recall with any fondness.

Sussex scored 254, being bowled out from the final delivery of the 40th over. Rory Hamilton-Brown’s 49 was the top score but six other batsmen, plus extras, all made double figures. Adam Voges was the pick of the bowlers with 3-25.

In reply Notts were blown away for just 102 in only 21.3 overs with Dwayne Smith claiming six for 29 including a hat-trick of wickets (Bilal Shafayat, Kevin O’Brien and Jake Ball).

History

A dramatic finish to a totesport League 40-over match at Hove in 2004 saw Nottinghamshire grab a share of the points thanks to the bowling of Ryan Sidebottom. Batting first, Notts scored 260-4, with Russell Warren making 78 and Jason Gallian 77. Sussex’s reply went right down to the final delivery, which arrived with the scores level and last man James Kirtley on strike. Sidebottom’s delivery clattered into the stumps to earn his side an unexpected tie.

The only hat-trick in the meetings came at Hove in 2009, when Dwayne Smith removed Bilal Shafayat, Kevin O’Brien and Jake Ball in successive deliveries.

Played For Both

Two of Nottinghamshire’s most illustrious overseas stars also appeared for Sussex during their careers. Vasbert Drakes, who won 12 Test caps for the West Indies, played for Sussex in 1996 and 1997 before joining Notts two years later.

The last county cricketer to achieve the first class double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in the same season also has links to both counties.

Franklyn Stephenson played for Notts from 1988 to 1991 and featured in 82 first class matches, completing his most famous feat in his first season at Trent Bridge.

The Barbadian, who has hosted the Notts team at his cricket academy on their last two pre-season tours, joined Sussex in 1992 and appeared 62 times for them.

In 2000 Giles Haywood moved north to join Notts from Sussex but he only made five List-A appearances for the Outlaws before being released.

Last month James Taylor (pictured) ‘guested’ for Sussex in their tour match against Australia. Taylor, on stand-by should he be needed to replace injury-doubt Kevin Pietersen for the Third Test match, made an impressive 121 not out.

Stats

Nottinghamshire’s highest one-day score in Hove is 283 for seven, compiled in a Pro40 match in 2007. Mark Wagh (77), Samit Patel (72) and Stephen Fleming (58) were the leading contributor’s in the 9-run win.

Carl Hopkinson scored an unbeaten 123 in Sussex’s reply, with the home side handing one-day debuts to Ben Brown and Michael Thornely. The total of 274 for four remains the highest Sussex score in Hove matches v Notts. Other Sussex centurions have been Imran Khan (114* in 1983), Kepler Wessels (106 in 1977) and Keith Greenfield, who made his 102 in 1995 at Arundel.

No Notts batsmen has ever scored a one-day century away in Sussex. The closest anyone has come was in the very first meeting, in 1970, when Mike Harris contributed 94 not out. In 2005 Samit Patel – then aged 20 – batted at number nine in the match at Hove and scored 61 not out, this remains the highest score by a Nottinghamshire no.9 in any limited overs contest.

Skipper Clive Rice took bowling figures of six for 18 in 1982, the fifth best one-day figures of all-time for Notts. It helped set up a 9-wicket NatWest Trophy win. Sussex’s best figures against Notts were by Dwayne Smith, who claimed 6-29 in 2009.

Bracegirdle's Interesting Fact

Kepler Wessels, father of current Notts star, Riki Wessels, played for Sussex between 1976 and 1980, scoring 4,329 first class runs at an average above 52. He also scored 1,411 one-day runs, averaging 36, with two centuries.

Kepler is one of only 14 players to have represented two different countries in Test match cricket. He appeared on 24 occasions for Australia, prior to his 16 outings for South Africa.